Suction head in sheet-feed systems

ABSTRACT

Sheet-feed system for sheet processing machines having a suction head for forming an overlapped sheet-feed which has separating suckers for raising sheets from a pile thereof that is automatically adjustable to a given level, the separating suckers cooperating with feeder suckers proper for transporting the sheets in a direction to further conveying means of the sheet feed system, includes a housing for the suction head formed of two housing halves having respective dividing surfaces, and a plurality of aligning pins, the housing halves being joinable and threadedly connectable to one another at the dividing surfaces thereof by the aligning pins, the housing halves serving to receive substantially all mountings for driven parts of the suction head and, in joined and threadedly connected condition thereof, being machinable to form all opposing bores therein in accurate alignment.

United States Patent Wirz [451 July 11,1972

[54] SUCTION HEAD IN SHEET-FEED 2,722,416 ll/1955 Backhouse.... ..271/26SYSTEMS 3,482,833 12/1969 Schleiden ..271/26 [72] Inventor: Arno Win,Schwetzingen, Germany [73] Assignee: Heidelberger DruckmaschinenAktiengesellschaft, Heidelberg, Germany [22] Filed: July 24, 1970 [21]Appl. No.: 58,037

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data July 26, 1969 Germany ..P 19 38041.7

[52] US. Cl ..27l/26 [51 Int. Cl [58] Field ofSearch 271/26, 27, 30;30/415, 41.6

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,823,916 2/1958 Wickland..27l/30 3,471,141 10/1969 Ruetschle.... .....271/26 2,530,759 11/1950Collins et a1. ....30/41 6 X 2,313,766 3/1943 Pfanstiehl ..206/45.34 X2,624,204 l/l953 Babst ..271/26 X Primary Examiner-Joseph WegbreitAssistant Examiner-Bruce H. Stoner, Jr.

Attorney-Curt M. Avery, Arthur E. Wilfond, Herbert L. Lerner and Daniel.1. Tick 57 ABSTRACT Sheet-feed system for sheet processing machineshaving a suction head for forming an overlapped sheebfeed which hasseparating suckers for raising sheets from a pile thereof that isautomatically adjustable to a given level, the separating suckerscooperating with feeder suckers proper for transporting the sheets in adirection to further conveying means of the sheet feed system, includesa housing for the suction head formed of two housing halves havingrespective dividing surfaces, and a plurality of aligning pins, thehousing halves being joinable and threadedly connectable to one anotherat the dividing surfaces thereof by the aligning pins, the housinghalves sewing to receive substantially all mountings for driven parts ofthe suction head and, in joined and threadedly connected conditionthereof, being machinable to form all opposing bores therein in accuratealignment.

PATENTEUJULH m2 3,675.91?

SHEET 3 OF 3 FIG.3

SUCTION HEAD-IN SHEET-FEED SYSTEMS My invention relates to suction headin sheet-feed systems for sheet processing machines which forms anoverlapped sheet-feed and includes separating suckers for raising sheetsfrom a pile thereof that is automatically adjustable to a given level,the separating suckers being operable simultaneously as feeder suckersor cooperating with feeder suckers proper for transporting the sheets ina direction to further conveying means of the sheet-feed system.

Suction heads are known wherein the most essential displaced parts aremounted in a bearing block which, in the shaping thereof, isexceptionally complex to machine. The housing walls and other bearingparts are screwed against the bearing block so that the suction headhousing is composed of a multiplicity of parts. Furthermore, the housingwalls serve also for accommodating several bearing bushings.

The manufacture and assembly of such formed suction head are bothcomplex as well as costly and are therefore not suited for massproduction.

It is accordingly an object of my invention to provide suction head insheet-feed systems wherein the machining of the suction head housing aswell as the assembly thereof is greatly facilitated and reduced in cost,while the required precision is considerably increased.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, I provide in accordancewith my invention, suction head in sheet-feed systems of theaforementioned type comprising a housing for the suction head formed oftwo housing halves having respective dividing surfaces, and a pluralityof aligning pins, the housing halves being joinable and threadedlyconnectable to one another at the dividing surfaces thereof by thealigning pins, the housing halves serving to receive substantially allmountings for driven parts of the suction head and, in joined andthreadedly connected condition thereof, being machinable to form allopposing bores therein in accurate alignment.

In accordance with further features of the invention, the housing halvesare formed either of compressed cast metal or ofa suitable plasticmaterial.

Other features which are considered as characteristic for the inventionare set forth in the appended claims.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodiedin suction head in sheet-feed systems, it is nevertheless not intendedto be limited to the details shown, since various modification andstructural changes may be made therein without departing from the spiritof the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of theclaims.

The construction and method of operation of the invention, however,together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be bestunderstood from the following description of specific embodiments, whenread in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the suction head of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of FIG. 1 taken approximately along the lineII-II; and

FIG. 3 is another view of FIG. 2 with the housing halves separated fromone another and with the suckers and other auxiliary parts omitted inthe interest of clarity.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown therein a suction headconstructed in accordance with my invention. A]- most all of the drivemeans for my novel suction head are mounted in a suction head housing 1formed of two halves 2 and 3, at the dividing surfaces thereofadvantageously located in the middle of the housing, that are matchinglyfitted together with aligning pins 4 and connected to one another byscrews 5. Both of the housing halves 2 and 3 are formed with respectivesidewalls 6 in each of which a bearing 7 for a drive shaft 8 isprovided. The drive shaft 8 has a free end that projects out of thesuction head housing half 3 and is provided with an end flange 9 towhich a non-illustrated universal joint shaft of the suction head driveis connectable.

Within the suction head housing, an eccentric 10 is secured by anadjusting spring 11 to the drive shaft 8. A coupling member 12 ismounted with roller or oilless slide bearings on the eccentric 10. Thecoupling member 12 terminates in an eye 13 which is articulatinglyconnected by means of a pin 14 with a crank lever 15. The crank lever 15is fastened by an adjusting spring 17 to a bearing shaft 16. The bearingshaft 16 proper extends parallel to the drive shaft 8 and is mounted,similarly to the latter, in both suction head housing halves 2 and 3 bymeans of ball bearings 18. Directly adjacent both bearings 18, arespective oscillating lever 19 is fastened to the bearing shaft 16within the suction head housing 1. The free end 20 of each of theoscillating levers 19 extends out of an opening 21 at the underside ofthe suction head housing 1, and forms a receiver for a feeder suckerholder 22 which is of tubular construction and is rotatably mounted inthe free end 20 of the oscillating lever 19. A respective feeder sucker23 is suitably mounted on the holder 22 at both sides of the suctionhead of my invention.

At each side of the suction head there is, moreover, located a guide rodor control lever 24 which is rigidly connected to the holder 22 andwhich has a free end armed with a roller 25 which runs along ahorizontal guideway 26. The guide rod 24 functions cooperatively withthe horizontal guideway 26 to maintain the reciprocating feeder sucker23 always in a horizontal plane. It should also be noted that the roller25 is fonned of an encapsulated anti-friction bearing.

By rotation of the drive shaft 8, in direction of the arrow 27 (FIG. 1),the bearing shaft 16 is twisted or turned through the coupling member 12and the crank lever 15 and is swung back and forth correspondingly withthe oscillating lever 19. Accordingly, the feeder suckers 23 aredisplaced from the forward, extended position thereof shown in solidlines in FIG. 1 to the rearward position 28 thereof shown in dottedlines and back again.

A roller lever 29 is rotatably mounted on the bearing shaft 16 inaddition to and adjacent the oscillating levers l9 and the crank lever15. It extends above the drive shaft 8 as viewed in FIG. 1 and isreciprocatingly oscillated through a roller 31 by a cam disc 30 fixed tothe drive shaft 8. A helical spring 32 continuously biases the roller 31which is rotatably mounted at the roller lever 29, toward the contactsurface of the cam disc 30. At the free end of the roller lever 29, asteering lever 33 is pivotally mounted and has a lower end 34, as viewedin FIG. 1, which projects out of the suction head housing 1 and forms areceiver for a holder 35 of separating suckers 36. At each side of thesuction head of my invention, a separating sucker 36 is advantageouslyclamped firmly to the holder 35 as shown in FIG. 2.

Vertical rectilineal guidance of the steering lever 33 and of theseparating suckers 36 therewith, is effected by a guide 39 wherein thesteering lever 33 is supported by two support rollers 37, respectivelyformed of encapsulated, maintenancefree ball bearings. Due to the use oftwo encapsulated ball bearings as support rollers, lubrication of theslide or rollway of the guide 39 is unnecessary, and the pile 38 ofsheets located below the suction head of my invention, is accordinglyprevented from being soiled, especially since all other bearinglocations are encapsulated and consequently maintenancefree. Theseparating suckers 36 are firmly clamped onto the tubular holder 35, sothat they can be swung in the direction of advancement of the sheets ofthe pile 38 and in opposite direction thereto. In a conventional manner,a tube 40 is located at the rear end of the suction head of myinvention, i.e. the right hand side of FIG. 2. The tube 40 projects fromboth sides of the suction head and carries loosening blowers 41, andpile stops 42. Furthermore, at the rear end of the suction head of myinvention, as viewed in FIG. 1, there is provided a conventional sensingor feeling device 45 which senses or determines the level of the upperedge of the pile 38.

On the drive shaft 8, outside the suction head housing 1 and locatedtoward the end of the shaft 8 opposite from the drive flange 9, a rotaryvalve 46 positively tumable through an entrainer pin 47 is mounted. Thisrotary valve 46 is surrounded by a valve housing 48 which is supportedby two ball bearings 49 on the rotary valve 46. The coordination of therotary valve 46 with the eccentric through the entrainer pin 47 and theadjusting spring 11 takes place in such a way that sheet transfer fromthe separating suckers 36 to the feeder suckers 23 occurs exactly in therearward position 28 of the feeder suckers.

The valve housing 48 is firmly, yet easily releasably, connected by asnap or spring lock 50 with the suction head housing 1.

In FIG. 3, the housing halves 2 and 3 are shown shortly before they arejoined together. The aligning housing bores 51, 52 and 53 are completelymachined in the simplest manner before assembly in the threadedlyconnected condition of the housing. Accordingly, the machining of manyindividual parts is dispensed with. The individually pre-assembledstructural groups are then inserted in the corresponding housing halvesor screwed thereto. Thereafter, the housing halves 2 and 3 are joinedtogether with the aid of the aligning pins 4 as well as with thealigning bores 4 whereby, inter alia, the bearings 7 and 18 of theshafts 8 and 16, respectively, are forced into their respective bores 51and 52. The screws or bolts 5 then finally bind both housing halves 2and 3 to one another. Manufacture and assembly prove to be highlysimplified. Special additional machining for truing or fitting isdispensed with.

I claim:

1. In a sheet feed system for sheet processing machines, a suction headfor forming an overlapped sheet feed having separating suckers forraising sheets from a pile thereof, the separating suckers cooperatingwith feeder suckers proper for transporting the sheets in a given planeand in a direction to further conveying means of the sheet feed system,the improvement therein comprising a housing for the suction head formedof two elongated housing halves extending longitudinally in the sheettransporting direction and having respec tive dividing surfaces locatedsubstantially in the middle of said housing and extendingperpendicularly to the plane in which the sheets are transported, saidhousing halves having means therein for mounting within said housinghalves, respectively, in preassembled condition, parts of drive controland bearing systems of the suction head, said housing halves beingalignably joinable and threadedly connectible to form said housing andsimultaneously support the parts of the suction head in operatingposition thereof.

2. Suction head according to claim I, wherein said housing halves areformed of compressed cast metal.

3. Suction head according to claim 1, wherein said housing halves areformed of plastic material.

1. In a sheet feed system for sheet processing machines, a suction headfor forming an overlapped sheet feed having separating suckers forraising sheets from a pile thereof, the separating suckers cooperatingwith feeder suckers proper for transporting the sheets in a given planeand in a direction to further conveying means of the sheet feed system,the improvement therein comprising a housing for the suction head formedof two elongated housing halves extending longitudinally in the sheettransporting directiOn and having respective dividing surfaces locatedsubstantially in the middle of said housing and extendingperpendicularly to the plane in which the sheets are transported, saidhousing halves having means therein for mounting within said housinghalves, respectively, in preassembled condition, parts of drive controland bearing systems of the suction head, said housing halves beingalignably joinable and threadedly connectible to form said housing andsimultaneously support the parts of the suction head in operatingposition thereof.
 2. Suction head according to claim 1, wherein saidhousing halves are formed of compressed cast metal.
 3. Suction headaccording to claim 1, wherein said housing halves are formed of plasticmaterial.